HOW WE RECOVER

We have all been where you are now. Though we loved to get high, our drug use had become increasingly problematic. But when we tried to cut down, we failed, and if we managed to get 'clean', staying clean seemed almost impossible.

 

Life without drugs was a dismal, scary prospect - many of us couldn't even imagine it. We have found a common solution to our problem. Together, we escaped what became an existence filled with fear, loneliness, anger and despair. We now enjoy full, rewarding lives beyond any we once thought possible. If it has worked for us, this solution can also work for you.

 

We recover from drug addiction by following the Twelve Steps. This tried and tested programme of action is detailed in the book Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as the 'Big Book'. We use the AA Big Book as our own manual for recovery; though written by and for alcoholics, we find it just as effective for drug addicts like ourselves.

 

But this isn't something we can do on our own (any more than we can learn to drive a car without the help of an experienced driver). In DAA we therefore offer sponsorship. A sponsor is someone with the experience needed to guide others through the Steps.

 

Having taken all Twelve Steps themselves, our sponsors have recovered from the illness of drug addiction. They are no longer prey to the insane thinking that precedes using drugs. Their task is to show us how to follow the programme in order to obtain the same result.

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We learn from our sponsors how to live drug-free and enjoy sane, rewarding, happy lives. They have been where we have been: they too were once powerless over drugs. They can identify with our obsession and compulsion to use drugs regardless of the consequences.

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Our sponsors take us through the Steps using the instructions given in the Big Book. By following their guidance, we are able to experience for ourselves the miracle of recovery from drug addiction.

 

Sponsorship is available at our meetings. A DAA member will, if you ask them to, consider it a privilege to sponsor you. If a member isn't able to sponsor you at the moment, they'll be happy to introduce you to somebody who can. Alternatively, call our Helpline and we will help you find a sponsor.